Kazakh President signs order declaring 2026 as Year of Digitalization and AI
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Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed on Tuesday an executive order declaring the year 2026 as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, Qazinform News Agency reports via the press service of the Akorda.
The order states that the Kazakh Government should take necessary measures for the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, while Presidential Administration will be responsible for the order’s implementation.
The order takes effect on the day of its signing.
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North Kazakhstan modernizes health infrastructure using returned assets
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In line with the President’s directives to develop social infrastructure, the Government of Kazakhstan is modernizing healthcare facilities, partly through the use of assets illegally transferred abroad and subsequently returned, Qazinform News Agency reports citing the Government’s press service.
Thus, it is reported, that the Special State Fund has allocated 1.3 billion tenge to complete the overhaul of the Tayynsha Multidisciplinary Interregional Hospital in the North Kazakhstan region. Current work includes upgrading the technical base and engineering networks, as well as creating specialized rooms for MRI equipment and a modern clinical diagnostic laboratory to conduct research directly in the district hospital.
An emergency department is also being established in line with the international triage system. According to the project, resuscitation beds will be placed with unhindered access for staff for operational monitoring, which will ensure the efficiency of medical intervention and high quality medical services.
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1,787 driving licenses cancelled on medical grounds in Kazakhstan
The Ministry of Healthcare, in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has launched a campaign to identify individuals whose health conditions prevent them from driving, Qazinform News Agency reports.
As a result of digital interaction between the two ministries and the connection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Ministry of Healthcare's information system ‘Electronic Register of Dispensary Patients,’ data on 369,888 registered patients was analyzed.
It was revealed that 273,819 citizens had never been issued driving licenses.
Of the remaining 96,069 individuals:
- 41,677 licenses were already invalid at the time of data collection;
- 54,392 still held valid licenses.
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Askar Mustabekov named new Deputy Defense Minister
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By the Head of State's order, Askar Mustabekov has been appointed Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Qazinform News Agency cites the Akorda press service.
He was relieved of his previous post.
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Olzhas Bektenov Instructs to Review Funding Mechanisms for Private Educational and Medical Institutions
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Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting on reforming the system of state financing for private educational and medical organizations as part of the implementation of the instructions of the Head of State given in the programmatic interview "Kazakhstan Has Entered a New Stage of Modernization", primeminister.kz reports.
The Head of Government tasked the Ministries of Education, Healthcare, and Finance with eliminating imbalances in the per-capita funding system. It was noted that the state assumes obligations to provide high-quality and accessible educational services, and in cases where public institutions are overcrowded, per-capita funding is allocated for education in private institutions. At the same time, instances of abuse have been recorded, where an artificial transfer of students and teachers is formed in order to increase the volume of subsidies received. This negatively affects the quality of education as well as the rational use of public funds.
Attention was also focused on private institutions with high tuition fees. The Prime Minister emphasized that the state budget should not be used to finance so-called "elite" schools with a high level of parental payments that allow them to fully ensure the educational process on their own.
Minister of Finance Madi Takiyev reported on the ongoing work to transition to a new mechanism for placing state educational orders in private schools. In order to address problematic issues, the processes of financing private schools have been digitized-from the conclusion of contracts to payment for services. As of January 6 of the current year, according to the OrtaBilim service, contracts for financing have been concluded on the e-Qazyna.kz web portal with 789 private schools (845 schools in 2025) for a total amount of 78.7 billion tenge. A total of 206 institutions previously receiving funding did not meet the established requirements. Cases of inflated reporting and double counting of students and teachers, exceeding permissible design capacity, and other violations were identified. The audit revealed the following preliminary results:
- abnormal movements of 1,333 students with transfers from one school to another ranging from 5 to 12 times;
- in 64 private schools, the actual number of students exceeds the approved design capacity by more than two times;
- for 2024, income was not reflected in tax reporting by 167 private schools.
Territorial Departments of Internal State Audit issued notification letters, as a result of which schools paid taxes totaling 1.2 billion tenge. As of today, counter audits are being conducted in 46 schools.
The next stage of work will be the digitization of public schools (6,887 schools), kindergartens, and universities. This will ensure transparency of the entire cycle of financing educational services provided at the expense of the budget.
During the meeting, the issue of revising approaches to licensing the activities of private educational organizations was also raised. In order to streamline the provision of medical services by private organizations, a government working group, taking into account citizens’ appeals, is analyzing the assets of the Social Health Insurance Fund. Based on the results, measures will also be taken to further improve the effectiveness of the Fund.
Following the meeting, the Ministries of Education, Healthcare, and Finance were instructed to submit specific proposals to address the identified issues within one week. Coordination of this work has been assigned to Deputy Prime Minister Aida Balayeva.
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Universal Access to High-Speed Internet Will Be Ensured Across Kazakhstan
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At the Government session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev reported on the current state and future prospects of Kazakhstan’s digital transformation, primeminister.kz reports.
As part of the implementation of the President’s instructions to transition to a fully digital country, work is being carried out across six key areas: infrastructure development, cybersecurity, support for the IT industry, GovTech, the digital economy, and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies.
The head of the ministry reported that in the current and coming years, more than 3,000 villages will be provided with high-speed internet via fiber-optic lines. This will make it possible to cover 99% of the country’s population.
- "Last-mile" project: fiber-optic connections are planned to be brought directly to 400,000 households, improving connectivity for 2.5 million people.
- 5G networks: the technology is already available in 20 cities. The task has been set to expand coverage to 75% of the territory of these megacities.
- Transport corridors: over the next two years, mobile communications will cover 40,000 km of national and regional roads.
- Satellite internet: in addition to the three current operators, the entry of two foreign companies is expected. Internet access will appear on Kazakhstan Temir Zholy trains and on Air Astana aircraft.
- Zhaslan Madiyev emphasized that akimats must promptly allocate land plots and ensure access to power grids. Regions have also been granted authority to monitor the quality of communications and impose fines on operators.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted Kazakhstan’s strategic role in the transit of internet traffic between Europe and Asia.
- By the end of the current year, construction of a fiber-optic cable along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan is planned to be completed.
- On the basis of a domestic facility, the production of 5-6 Earth remote sensing satellites is planned.
- For the first time in the country’s history, exports of high-tech services in the space sector amounting to USD 75 million are expected.
- In the field of cybersecurity, Zhaslan Madiyev focused on strengthening the responsibility of heads of government bodies. Audit results revealed that government institutions often violate information security requirements. The minister reminded that first heads bear personal responsibility for leaks of citizens’ personal data and called for stricter oversight in this area.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the IT market is demonstrating rapid growth:
- Industry revenues: expected to reach 2 trillion tenge for the past year.
- Service exports: Kazakhstan intends to reach USD 1 billion by the end of 2025, fulfilling the President’s instruction ahead of schedule.
- Astana Hub: the number of participants has reached 2,000 companies, a quarter of which are foreign. Startups have attracted more than USD 900 million in investment.
- Venture capital: a fund of funds with a target capital of USD 1 billion has been created to support late-stage startups.
In accordance with the Presidential Decree, from this year the development of government information systems outside the QazTech platform is prohibited.
- A technical audit of all systems is underway to migrate them to the unified platform.
- eGov: 91% of services are available online. An AI assistant for citizens has been introduced.
- Social Wallet: the service will be scaled to cover 10 government support measures.
- Digital offices: Public Service Centers (CSCs) are being transformed into modern digital self-service spaces (Apple Store format).
Zhaslan Madiyev also reported on the implementation of the "AI Movement" initiative, under which nearly 1 million people have been trained.
- Two powerful supercomputers have been launched to serve the needs of science and business.
- The multi-agent platform AlemGPT has been developed.
- An International AI Center, alem.ai, has been established, and by Presidential instruction a concept for a specialized AI university is being developed.
- Legislative framework: the Law on Artificial Intelligence has been signed, and the Digital Code has been submitted to the Head of State for consideration.
The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that 2026 has been declared by the President as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. In the near future, the Government will approve a corresponding plan of large-scale international events, including the GITEX Central Asia forum.
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President outlines key priorities for Kazakhstan’s development in 2026
Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has shared his vision for the country’s development in 2026 in an extensive interview with Turkistan newspaper, Qazinform News Agency reports.
As I have said, the year ahead will be challenging. A new stage of large-scale political transformation begins, and economic reforms will be advanced. The modernization of the country must become truly irreversible, fundamentally changing the essence and image of our society. Citizens will need to adapt to the realities of a new era. This is not an easy task, but I am convinced that our people, especially the youth, are capable of doing it," the President said.
Tokayev reminded that 2026 has been declared the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence.
This is a historic opportunity for our country. Digital transformation and the introduction of artificial intelligence open new prospects for the economy and many other areas of life - from public administration to education and healthcare," he said.
The President also highlighted the upcoming 35th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence.
Thirty-five years of Independence is a landmark date. It is a reason to critically evaluate the path we have taken and to develop new plans. It is important not to turn the anniversary into a mere festive campaign. It must become a symbol of Kazakhstan’s progress," he emphasized.
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